US/UK Credit Mapping

• What are we doing, and why?• Understanding Credit and US/UK credit awarding

systems• “How does this affect me?”

Dr M. Clare Loughlin-ChowDean of Academic Affairs and Accreditation

Fall 2012

What are we doing, and why?

• Exciting new project to make our degree and course offerings more readily understood

• Richmond Academics have been working to describe more clearly our US degrees in UK terms

• This has meant – a recoding of our courses so that their UK levels are

more apparent– a rearticulation of the existing structures of our degrees.

What are we doing, and why?

Richmond offers 4-year US liberal arts degrees validated in the US by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Richmond’s undergraduate degrees are validated in the UK by the Open University

as BA (Hons.) in Subject X with combined

studies.

What are we doing, and why?

We must now also describe our degrees in terms of UK Regulatory Frameworks:

FHEQ: The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (QAA, 2008)

Key Issue for Richmond?

Accommodation of the key differences between the US and UK HE systems.

Understanding Credit

US Credit

Fundamental Basis in Classroom Contact Hours.

3 hours of class per week across a 15-week semester forms basis of the traditional 3-credit course.

Although additional expected study is factored into US credit definitions, the NUMBER of credits awarded

for a typical course and for an academic year remains based on classroom hours.

1 Academic Year = 30 US credits

European and UK Credit

European/UK credits are based on Classroom Contact Hours

AND

Notional Hours of Learning: the number of hours which it is expected that a learner (at a particular

level) will spend, on average, to achieve the specified learning outcomes at that level.

European and UK Credit

Classroom contact hours + Notional Hours of Learning = number of EU/UK credits

THEREFORE

European HE institutions award a larger NUMBER of credits for a module equivalent to a US university

course, and for the entire academic year.

1 Academic Year = 120 UK (CATS) Credits

Summary of Credit Comparisons

US Credits UK CATS* Credits

Unit of Credit 1 4

Credits per Richmond Course

3 12

Credits per Academic Year

30 120

Structure of a Richmond US BA Degree

Duration 4 years

Levels

2 years Lower-division (60 US credits)2 years Upper-division (60 US credits)Note: Year 1 of a US degree is considered sub-HE level in the UK system.

Typical Courseload

3 US credits per course15 US credits per semester 30 US credits per year120 US credits in a degree

Composition

Major course of study plus liberal arts Core Curriculum requirements and optional additional

minorscertificatesDouble-majors

Additional Features

Transfer Credit at various years, including Level 3 credit equivalent to Year 1 of the lower-division.

Structure of a Typical UK Honours Degree

Duration 3 years

Levels (FHEQ)1st year FHEQ Level 4 (Richmond Year 2)2nd year FHEQ Level 5 (Richmond Year 3)3rd year FHEQ Level 6 (Richmond Year 4)

Typical Courseload

A variable number of credits per module, but overall:60 UK credits per semester 120 UK credits per year360 UK credits in a degree (with a minimum of 120 at Level 6)

CompositionMajor-focused with little or no work outside of the primary course of study.

Additional Features

Transfer Credit is called APL/APEL (Accreditation of Prior [Experiential] Learning) and tends to involve courses at Levels 4 or 5 only.

What are we doing? The Details

What are we doing? The Details

• Mapping of US degree onto the relevant levels of the FHEQ

• Changing our course codes to reflect these levels• “Translating” US credit into UK terms• Accommodating the core curriculum (including double-

dipping) and features of the US degree such as minors.• Production of a UK Diploma Supplement

Course CodingCourses were formerly coded with three letters

followed by three numbers (eg PLT 150)

From January 2013, courses are coded as follows:

Eg: the new course code for PLT 150 is PLT 3100.

Year of Study FHEQ Level Course Code

1st Year 3 XXX 3000-3999

2nd Year 4 XXX 4000-4999

3rd Year 5 XXX 5000-5999

4th Year 6 XXX 6000-6999

What are we doing? The Details

All of this re-thinking has resulted in some changes to existing degree programmes. Some departments have taken the opportunity to make changes so that pathways and concentrations are more clearly defined.

Any such changes will be reflected in new degree planners that will apply from January 2013 onwards.

These degree planners will be available on the website and the portal from Monday 1 October.

How Does This Affect ME?

Students who enrolled before Fall 2012You will continue to follow the degree planner that was in

place when you entered the university. Any courses whose codes have changed will substitute

for the original course. So if you needed to complete INR 328 (Security Studies), you will complete INR 5205 (Security Studies).

Likewise, if you failed INR 328, a passing grade in INR 5205 will replace that F.

Likewise, “old” course codes will be recognized as prerequisites for “new” courses. We’ve been able to arrange this by cross-referencing old versions and new versions in PowerCAMPUS. Please alert us to any problems asap!

Students who enrolled before Fall 2012

A small number of courses will have been replaced by a different course. In such cases, authorized substitutions will be made plain for you by the department chairs, and you will be advised into those courses.

The classic example of this is the revision of the SSC 304/SSC 410 sequence. Students will continue to have these courses on their degree planners, but will substitute the new DEV/HST/INR/PLT 6296/6297 sequence instead.

Students who Enrolled in Fall 2012

The vast majority of students will be transferred onto new degree planners. There will be a minimum of disruption involved in the shift for students who have only completed one semester, or who have 30-60 transfer credits.

Students with a larger amount of transfer credit may feel that they wish to remain on the original FA12 degree planner. All such cases will be considered on an individual basis. If you are not specifically contacted by the Academic Registry, you will be on the new degree planner.

How will I know what to take???

Master Spreadsheet of Course Changes. This has been created and distributed to all faculty for comment. It will be posted on the faculty and student pages of the portal so that you and your advisor will easily be able to find the new course code based on the old. http://www.richmond.ac.uk/content/academic-affairs/course-codes-credit-mapping.aspx

Catalogue. The new catalogue will list out all courses with both course codes attached.

What About the Core Curriculum?The Liberal Arts Core Curriculum continues to be an

important element of the Richmond degree, and great care has been taken to ensure that students will be able to complete it.

The recoding of courses has resulted in some changes to the Core Curriculum for students admitted in Fall 2012.

The revised Core Curriculum list will be posted on the website and on the portal by Monday 1 October. http://www.richmond.ac.uk/content/academic-programs/richmond-core-curriculum.aspx

Questions?Changes to degree structure? Advisor and Chair of

Department

Course substitutions in major? Chair of Department

Course substitutions in the core curriculum? Academic Registrar

Course Coding and Credit? Consult the relevant section of the website and portal FIRST. Then direct any further questions to the Academic Registrar.